American Renaissance Unit

The American Renaissance is very closely related to the American Romantic movement and often considered to be a part of the Romantic Era, but we we will be looking at this as separate unit. While specific dates vary, generally it covers a period from 1840 to the 1860s, ending with the start of the Civil War. The term renaissance is a bit of a misnomer considering that a true renaissance is looked at as a "rebirth." America was not old enough to go through that type of transition, so it is more appropriately looked at as a maturation. The question was raised about whether America would ever produce its own Shakespeare. The American Renaissance was the response to that challenge.